先王
xiān wáng
Pinyin
Definition
先王
-
- former kings
- former emperors
- in Confucian writing, refers esp. to the sage rulers Yao 堯|尧[Yáo], Shun 舜[Shùn], Yu 禹[Yǔ], Tang 湯|汤[Tāng] and the kings of Zhou
Character Decomposition
Idioms (20)
先下手为强
- 1 strike first and gain the upper hand (idiom, martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.
先斩后奏
- 1 first decapitate then present your trophy (idiom); act first, report later
先发制人
- 1 to gain the initiative by striking first (idiom); to preempt
- 2 to anticipate
- 3 preemptive
先睹为快
- 1 joy of first experience (idiom)
- 2 the pleasure of reading sth for the first time
先礼后兵
- 1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence
- 2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war